Name of the Kowalskis’ home building, but also a reference from Greek mythology to the heaven-like otherworld where “good souls” go after death (sometimes said to be in the “distant west” or at the edge of the earth)
13
L&N tracks
abbreviation for Louisville (Kentucky) & Nashville (Tennessee); a railroad that operated freight & passenger services in the southeast US and was known as one of the great success stories of American business as its network of railroads grew. See picture 1.
15
garden district
a residential area of New Orleans, Louisiana developed between 1832 to 1900; one of the best preserved collection of historic southern mansions in the United States. Reflects old Southern wealth/charm as it once consisted of plantations. This site, for a bed & breakfast in the Garden District, shows some of the quaint aristocratic Old South associated with this region of New Orleans. See picture 2.
17
por nada
Spanish for "it's nothing; don't worry about it"; Eunice says this to Blanche after she thanks her for letting her in. Highlights/hints at the heterogeneity and blue-collar status of Elysian Fields; they are an ethnically mixed lot who speak casually to each other. In Blanche's world, it is unlikely that someone of higher status would throw Spanish phrases usually reserved for domestic help etc. into conversation
15
DuBois
Blanche & Stella's family name; the ancient French surname duBois comes from the Old French "bois" meaning wood and was a French place name given to a man who lived or worked in the woods or worked as a woodcutter. Thus, "Blanche DuBois" altogether can mean "white wood"; connotes uppercrust sophistication, French heritage. (source: http://genealogy.about.com/library/surnames/d/bl_name-DUBOIS.htm)
17
Belle Reve
In the play, this is the name of the DuBois family estate which has been lost. The name in French roughly means "beautiful dream" (although grammatically it should be "Beau Reve" because "dream" is feminine in French) (source: Marie Smale).This parallels the name Elysian Fields, as both locations have connotations of being heavenly or the answers to ones' dreams. For Blanche, Elysian Fields would have been the answer to her goals in life if it had not been lost; for Stella and Stanley, Elysian Fields is where they are happy.
15
Kowalski
Stanley's surname; One of the most common surnames in contemporary Poland, Kowalski is a derivative of the work "kowal," meaning blacksmith in Polish. Thus, this occupational surname and its derivatives are basically the Polish version of the English surname SMITH. In contrast to Blanche's fine-sounding name, "Stanley Kowalski" connotes blue-collar, Polish immigrant culture.
p 116 of Penguin Classics edition
red hots
small cinnamon-flavored candy, not unlike round versions of Hot Tamales candy; often used in the South as part of recipes for sweets such as apple dumplings, and thus associated somewhat with Southern home-style cooking. See picture 3. This line is left out of the Signet edition, but in the Penguin Classics edition (also containing other Williams plays) the scene opens after the stage direction with "a Negro woman" gossiping to Eunice whilst a man gives directions to a sailor and a vendor sells Red Hots in the background.
p116 of Penguin Classics edition
clip joint
an establishment, usually a strip club or entertainment bar, typically one claiming to offer adult entertainment, in which male customers are tricked into paying money and receive poor, or no, goods or services in return. This line is also part of the section left out of the Signet edition; the "Negro woman" is telling the sailor not to waste his money in the clip joint he has asked for directions about.
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1. Red dots indicate Louisville, Tennessee & New Orleans (setting of play)
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Elysian Fields
Name of the Kowalskis’ home building, but also a reference from Greek mythology to the heaven-like otherworld where “good souls” go after death (sometimes said to be in the “distant west” or at the edge of the earth)
L&N tracks
abbreviation for Louisville (Kentucky) & Nashville (Tennessee); a railroad that operated freight & passenger services in the southeast US and was known as one of the great success stories of American business as its network of railroads grew. See picture 1.
garden district
a residential area of New Orleans, Louisiana developed between 1832 to 1900; one of the best preserved collection of historic southern mansions in the United States. Reflects old Southern wealth/charm as it once consisted of plantations. This site, for a bed & breakfast in the Garden District, shows some of the quaint aristocratic Old South associated with this region of New Orleans. See picture 2.
In the play, this is the name of the DuBois family estate which has been lost. The name in French roughly means "beautiful dream" (although grammatically it should be "Beau Reve" because "dream" is feminine in French) (source: Marie Smale).This parallels the name Elysian Fields, as both locations have connotations of being heavenly or the answers to ones' dreams. For Blanche, Elysian Fields would have been the answer to her goals in life if it had not been lost; for Stella and Stanley, Elysian Fields is where they are happy.
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